Forget chatbots, e-leads and texting. High-tech retailing tactics used in major cities sometimes don’t cut it for dealerships in rural parts of Canada.
Dean Cooley Chevrolet-Buick-GMC is thriving in Dauphin, Man., by defying big-city sales approaches and following a time-tested method emphasizing face-to-face connections and a highly personalized touch.
“We’re kind of behind on technology,” said Sales Manager Jordan Cooley, son of General Manager Dean Cooley. “We value all of our communication coming through our people.”
The dealership is owned by Murray Auto Group, based in Brandon, Man., which runs 36 franchised stores in Western Canada.
Dauphin is about 200 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg and has a population of about 8,000. The remote location has not dampened Dean Cooley Chevrolet-Buick-GMC’s sales performance, customer loyalty and staff retention. That’s why the dealership was one of five finalists in the retail category of the 2023 Canadian Automobile Dealers Association Laureate awards, an annual program recognizing outstanding dealers.
LOCAL TOUCH
Eschewing third-party agencies, the dealership oversees its own promotions and advertising, Jordan Cooley said. The dealership spent $142 in advertising per new vehicle sold in 2022, while the top 20 per cent of General Motors dealers spent $225, according to the dealership’s submission to the Laureate program.
Yet the store consistently sells one-and-a-half times as many vehicles as GM expects from that size of operation, according to the submission.
For outreach, the dealership calls its customers by phone, which works better than hiring third-party companies that the customer has no relationship with, Cooley said.
Customers are “never talking to a stranger.”
“This led to an increase in sales, better ROI and greater customer satisfaction,” the Laureate application stated. “This has also resulted in a better, long-lasting relationship with our customers,” he said.
The dealership last year sold 419 new and 230 used vehicles, Cooley said.
NO PANDEMIC PANIC
During COVID-19, Dean Cooley Chevrolet-Buick-GMC expanded its marketing efforts. General Manager Dean Cooley said he chose not to lay off staff during the pandemic. Instead, employees called customers to let them know the dealership was open and available for regular service, reinforcing the small-town touch.
“That keeping-in-touch message was well-received,” he said.
The dealership’s website was used to consistently sell new vehicles before they arrived, which eventually earned the company greater allocations. “Consumers were willing to wait two months, six months, nine months for the vehicles and we had no carrying costs,” he said.
The dealership prices its vehicles aggressively, so customers aren’t tempted to look for better deals in bigger centres, Jordan Cooley said.
The nearest is Brandon, about 150 kilometres south.
“We also mention [to customers] our service. If you buy from us, we’re here to look after you.”
The dealership stays in touch with customers through regular phone calls and, quite often, encounters at community events, he said. The dealership sponsors about 50 organizations or events each year.
“Community involvement is important,” he said. Staff often intermingle with customers at the grocery store or local hockey game.
“When you’re in a small setting, they know you really well,” Cooley said. “Everyone is like a friend.”
The dealership has 52 employees, including four sales consultants.
“Our staff retention is incredible.” Three have been there for more than 40 years, and average tenure is 11.8 years.
“The biggest thing that breeds our success is our team,” he said.
Long tenure ensures that employees not only have extensive product knowledge but also know customers on a first-name basis, he said.
FOCUS ON TRAINING
Dean Cooley said the dealership has achieved high employee retention through “clear and consistent reviews” of performance and structured training plans, both when the employees join the team and throughout their careers.
To keep staff engaged, the dealership holds weekly sales training sessions and has brought in outside trainers to help build skills in finance and insurance service and the collision centre.
Ultimately, the dealership has a simple formula for success.
“Our philosophy on business ethics is simple: Do what is right. At our dealership, we talk about treating every customer as though they were your grandmother,” he said.
Dean Cooley said he is not against adopting artificial intelligence technology at some point to assist in sales, but he prefers to follow time tested tactics.
“I am not a guy that tries to reinvent the car business. I don’t think reinventing it all the time is healthy.”
